


A Sunless Day

by earlymorningdew



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Bad Weather, Gen, Hongjoong is trying, Hurt/Comfort, I wish I had friends like this, Poetic, Sad and Beautiful, hongjoong is an emotional support boy, jongho is sad, platonic, very platonic, weather plays an important part
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:08:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25476652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/earlymorningdew/pseuds/earlymorningdew
Summary: The weather forecast isn't always accurate.Hongjoong feels the need to keep Jongho company during one of those unpredicted weather changes.
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Kim Hongjoong
Comments: 9
Kudos: 30





	A Sunless Day

The weather forecast predicted a week of sunshine and perfect late summer days, but today was soulless and foggy. The sky looked like a worn out grey watercolour painting and the atmosphere felt suffocating.  
In a quiet, dimly lit flat, the sound of a ringtone boomed, making the flat owner jump, snapping out of his thoughts.  
-Hello? – His voice filled with displeasure.  
-Hongjoong? Are you free tonight? – The caller answered.  
He looked at the desk covered with notebooks full of scribbles and creased pieces of paper, but something in the other guy’s voice made his heart drop.  
-Where do you want to meet? – The tone of Hongjoongs voice changed drastically, now sounding almost nurturing.  
It was decided that the other man will pick his friend up in around 15 minutes. Hongjoong ran around, trying to piece an outfit together meanwhile doing some tidying.

 _“I’m outside.”_ A message from Jongho read. Hongjoong glanced at the phone, grabbing it. However, he got distracted by the heavy raindrops sounding on the window. Scanning the room, he located an umbrella. Sounds of steps echoed on the cold stone stairs.  
Hongjoong immediately opened the umbrella and ran up to Jongho. Rain was dripping from his hair and down his emotionless face.  
-Jesus Christ, how long did you walk in this rain? – Hongjoong reached up to the other guys face, wiping it with the sleeve of his sweater.  
-Ever since I left home, it seems to have followed me. – Jongho forced a faint laugh. – Let’s get coffee.  
The shorter one nodded, making sure the umbrella is shielding them both from the cold rain. Water softly splashed underneath their feet. The street was empty and quiet; it seemed like a sombre bubble weighting down on the area.

As expected, the café was also empty, aside from one barista who was busy wiping down syrup bottles. It was 7:30pm after all.  
Jongho stepped in first, Hongjoong following behind, struggling with the wet umbrella. They looked at the menu boards hanging above the counter for a few seconds.  
-I’ll have an iced Americano. – Jongho spoke.  
Hongjoong nodded, still looking at the boards.  
-I’ll take a matcha latte.  
The barista double checked their order and read the price out. They both reached their arms out in attempt to pay.  
-I got it. – Hongjoong smiled, placing his card on the reader.  
They moved to a bleak corner of the café, right by the gigantic window, and sat down opposite each other. Jongho’s stare focused on the puddle forming on the sidewalk. The water droplets rippled the shallow water, moving in rhythmic circles. His expression might have been blank, but there was a layer of sadness breaking through in his eyes.  
Hongjoong sat there, watching his friend, his mind filled with worrisome thoughts. He kept wanting to speak, but every time he moved his lips, the air ran out, making him reconsider.  
The barista brought the drinks over to the table after a few minutes that stretched for eternity.  
-Thank you. – Hongjoong bowed his head and grabbed his cup, wrapping both hands around the warm mug.  
Jongho finally took his gaze to the coffee sitting in front of him. He moved his shoulder, feeling the damp shirt sticking to his skin, making his skin cover in goosebumps. The straw in the glass was now moving the ice around, squished by Jongho’s fingers.  
Hongjoong carefully studied the other’s face.  
-What’s going on? – His words fell out, exactly how he calculated them.  
Jongho let go of the straw and lowered his head to taste the bitter coffee. His mouth filled with the ice cold liquid forced his lips into a pout and a loud swallow.  
-I don’t know. – He finally spoke. His words sounded paltry. – Just one of those days you know. You can’t be happy every single day of your life.  
The more he spoke, the more his words seemed to warm up.  
Hongjoong nodded, staring into his mug, and Jongho was facing the window once again.  
The rain looked lighter than it was a few minutes ago. It lost its heaviness. Everything was still grey and lifeless, but the rain wasn’t penetrating every surface it came in contact with anymore.  
-I am glad you called me. - The older man tugged at his sleeve. – I know I am not the best person to be dealing with emotions, but I am here.  
Those words took a lot of courage to say, but it made the corner of Jongho’s mouth slightly turn upwards.  
-I know. – He looked at Hongjoong, grabbing his drink. – And that’s all I needed.  
There was a pause.  
-Sometimes things don’t seem to make sense. Everything feels dull. – Jongho took a big sip through the straw.  
Hongjoong nodded, sighing quietly. The phone in his pocket vibrated so he took it out under the table, trying not to bring too much attention to it. His thumb held the power button until the screen went blank once again, making sure no one will try to disturb again. His attention was fully diverted to Jongho who looked focused on swirling the ice around once again.  
  
They didn’t speak much after that, but it was okay. They had each other’s company. At this moment silence felt more tender and sincere than a stream of constant words.

With the corner of his eye, Hongjoong spotted the barista nervously pacing around the till, sending looks to their table. He got the hint and stood up, taking the cups over to the counter.  
Stepping outside, they got hit with the after rain breeze, the smell of wet soil filling their nostrils. Neither of them noticed when it stopped raining.  
Their steps were slow and steady, Hongjoong kicking a rock and poking the cracks in the pavement with the tip of his umbrella. Jongho looked up at the sky, his hands digging deep into his pockets.  
-The clouds look pretty. – He spoke gently.  
Hongjoong jerked his head up, orange and pink faintly painting over the grey monotone sky. He smiled, admiring the beautiful sunset.  
-They really do. – The smile was still printed on his face.  
This evening was slowly transforming into a painting you would see in a museum, the layer of gloom and muted colours balancing with the bursts of pleasant shades hiding away at the sides.

And they got to the spot where they met.  
-Want to come in? We can watch a movie or something; I don’t want you to be alone now. – Hongjoong suggested.  
-Sure, why not, I had no plans for tonight, anyway. – He felt touched by how much his friend cared.

 _Thank God I tidied up._ Hongjoong thought, throwing his small shoulder against the door, revealing the inside of the apartment, the glow of the setting sun bouncing around the living room.  
Jongho followed the owner and sat down on the sofa, watching Hongjoong scattering around, trying to clean up the water that fallen from the still wet umbrella. In the end, he resorted to using the sock he was wearing, making Jongho giggle loudly.  
Hongjoong brought over two cans of coke from the fridge and sat down.  
-Any preference for what you want to watch? – He questioned, flicking through channels.  
Jongho shrugged in response.  
Meanwhile Hongjoong was trying to find a movie, Jongho looked at the window. The sky was almost dark, but the grey glow still hung above the clouds. He inhaled deeply.  
-I heard this film is good. – Hongjoong pointed at the TV with the remote.  
Jongho snapped back into reality, looking at the screen.  
-Looks good.  
He didn’t really care for what was on, he was just glad to be there. Everything felt more bearable with Hongjoong around.  
-I’ll get some popcorn. – Once again, the owner of the flat was looking around the kitchen.

The film turned out to be one of those lame comedies, but it made both of the boys laugh, once making Hongjoong choke on his drink, making Jongho laugh even more.  
Towards the end of, the older man got a bit too comfortable and fell asleep, resting his head on the armrest, breathing calmly. Jongho didn’t notice until the credits started rolling and he turned around towards Hongjoong.  
-It was… Oh. – His voice immediately quietened.  
He looked around the room, but it was difficult as the only source of light was the TV and the moonlight coming in from outside. Carefully, he stood up and walked over to a chair loaded with a heap of something that looked like fabric. Reaching for it, Jongho felt the soft plush of a blanket beneath his fingers, lifting it out of the pile.  
Before tiptoeing back to Hongjoong, he felt the need to look out of the window.  
The dark navy blue canvas stretched far into the distance, but the moon and a scatter of small, but dazzling lights illuminated the night sky instead of getting covered with heavy clouds. The view made him smile, feeling at peace.  
At last, he moved back, standing over Hongjoong who looked even smaller, curled up on the sofa. Jongho gently covered the sleeping boy with a blanket and sat back in his spot. He watched his friend for a second, with a tiny smile.  
-Thank you for being my friend. – Jongho’s words sounded with so much sincerity, feeling his sadness slowly lifting.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first work I have ever published and I hope you liked it, especially if you made it this far. Thank you for reading!
> 
> Feel free to follow me on twitter: @CANDYFLOSSMINGI


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